Glynis Ridley

Have you ever heard, or used, any of the following phrases: "to err is human," or "hope springs eternal," or "damn with faint praise"? All of these phrases from everyday English - and many more - are from Pope's poetry. Behind the familiar lines was a writer whose mastery of form and satiric brilliance secured him contemporary fame while also earning him powerful enemies. Assuming no prior knowledge of the period or how to approach its poetry, the book guides readers through the intellectual climate of Pope's age, showing how satire became its defining form and how Pope elevated it into enduring art.